Sudanese Birders طيور السودان: Morning visit to Elhalfaya Bridge Area

I am happy to add a new post and apologies for absence since end of last September due to my travel to Tanzania to participate in the 13^th Pan-African Ornithological Congress , the most excited ornithological congress I ever attended with participation of more than 200 ornithologist from world wide countries who did researches in Africa .The conference held every four years (www.paoc-africa.org) and next time hope to see many Sudanese Ornithologists there. After that I spent some days in my village Diem Elgarray for Eid vacation.

In early morning 15/11/2012 I headed towards the agricultural farms around Elhalfaya bridge which is not too far from my house in Eldroshab looking for some migratory species as the time for fall migration had been already began with winter onset. The area is mainly agricultural lands which all covered with water during flooding time adding new fertile soil to the land used by farmers to grow some different crops and vegetables.

My first sight was two common kestrels soaring above the trees with black kite and some passerines perching on the electric wires such as desert wheatear, village indigo bird and African silverbill. My not professional camera makes it difficult for me to have good clear pictures of birds especially those moved very quickly and I realized that birding need equipped birder.


Male village indigobird - Halfaya bridge 15/11/2012

I continued walking down to water stream blocking my way to the Nile where there were few waterbirds such as Egyptian plover and spur-winged lapwing. I forced to change my way and headed towards the bridge to cross to the other side and in my way I saw group of common bulbul , white-headed babbler , red-billed firefinch while house sparrows , mourning dove and laughing dove every where constitute the abundant species


Spur-winged lapwing - Halfaya Bridge 15/11/2012

Egyptian Plover- Halfaya Bridge 15/11/2012

When I reached the bridge , I noticed some waterbirds such as the local nomad kittlitz’s plover and the palearcitic migrant little stint . Also group of egrets probing the mud for food mainly great white egret and little egret. The shaded area under the bridge provided suitable roosting site for Ethiopian swallows flying there and sometimes perched on the electric wires


Great White Egret- Halfaya Bridge 15/11/2012

Ethiopian Swallow-Halfaya Bridge 15/11/2012

Then, I climbed the bridge to cross the small khor and left again the bridge to walk through the farm while the Nile still far west and only few species were seen included African silverbill, yellow wagtail, common bulbul and masked shrike . Old unoccupied weaver colony on acacia nilitica tree was observed and some house sparrows moved between the nests

The Nile shores were not as I expected regarding to the number of species and habitat composition too. The shore in the southern side of the bridge was sandy cliff with no space for waterbirds as the water was deep . the sandy cliff extended two hundred meters north the bridge where I saw some Ethiopian swallows roosting there and on the way north I saw two little bee-eater on the small shrub and pied king fisher

The Sandy cliff- Halfaya Bridge 15/11/2012

Little Bee-eater - Halfaya Bridge 15/11/2012

Pied Kingfisher- Halfaya Bridge 15/11/2012

The sandy shallow shores extends far north from the bridge with presence of desert wheatear , yellow wagtail, white wagtail and crested lark with few waterbirds such as common green shank , Egyptian plover, kittlitz’s plover, little egret and great white egret